"That Chaos Demon King really is naive about the ways of the world."
Sun Wukong was also somewhat embarrassed, "I spared his life, yet he still dared to offend me; it seems his fate decreed this calamity. Follow me out and send him off to reincarnation!"
Outside the cave, the Shuilian divide to the sides, and Sun Wukong, accompanied by four monkeys and one small monkey, stood tall and looked down upon the Chaos Demon King clad in a grass skirt.
Just as the Monkey King was about to speak and scold him, the Chaos Demon King knelt down with a thud and kept kowtowing.
"Grandfather Sun, please take me in!"
"I am willing to be your protector!"
Behind the Chaos Demon King, a horde of little demons also knelt down and kowtowed ceaselessly.
For the Chaos Demon King, he had realized Sun Wukong's prowess and naturally didn't dare to offend again. Moreover, having lost his weapons and armor, his strength had significantly decreased, presenting a perfect opportunity for the masters of the seventy-two caves of Huaguo Mountain to swallow him up.
To find a backer, he had no choice but to do this.
"Oh? You are willing to swear allegiance?" Sun Wukong said, his mouth curling into a smile with a playful tone.
"I sincerely convert! I swear to Heaven that if I betray you, I shall never be liberated in all my lives!"
Seeing the Chaos Demon King make such a fierce oath, Sun Wukong relaxed.
An oath to Heaven will surely be responded to.
Ordinary people may not know, but Sun Wukong, with his fiery eyes and golden gazes, naturally could see karma; this demon had indeed taken the oath—should he betray, he would truly never be liberated.
"If so, then rise."
Sun Wukong accepted the Chaos Demon King, returned his armor and the large sword with the curled blade to him, and said, "Now that you have converted to my side, you can't keep the name Chaos Demon King. I will give you a new one, how about that?"
The Chaos Demon King, with head bowed in respect, said, "I am at the Great King's command."
Sun Wukong said, "You dwell in a filthy cave and were born from chaos; wouldn't it be better to call you Shuisheng?"
Shuisheng nodded, "Good, from now on, I will be known as Shuisheng."
He ordered Shuisheng to lead the little demons to chop trees outside the Shuilian Cave, to build houses and clear the land. It was good preparation for future military drills and home-building for the children.
After the monkeys and their offspring had returned with pearls and agates, Sun Wukong used a space-time spell, gathering the heaps of jewels into his palm. Then, with a somersault cloud, he vanished in the blink of an eye, heading towards the realm of Ao Lai.
The Chaos Demon King exclaimed in shock, and the little demons scurried about in fright.
"Such an art of soaring, truly remarkable!"
Realizing a glimpse of the Monkey King's power, Shuisheng was wholeheartedly convinced and even entertained the thought that the Monkey King might join the ranks of immortals. He himself longed to be elevated as a servant or a house pet and ascend to the heavens together.
In Ao Lai, within the royal city, across the six streets and three markets, throngs of people bustled about the ten thousand households and thousand doors. The crowd was teeming, the merchants were hawking, and the bustle was endless.
"It really is extraordinarily lively!"
The Monkey King sighed, stepped down from the clouds, and transformed into a good-looking and fair-faced young scholar, with lips red and teeth white, strikingly handsome. He held a fan inscribed with the characters for plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, which indeed exuded refined elegance.
Passersby on the road all stopped to watch.
Women and children looked back three times with each step they took, their hearts fluttering with excitement.
Walking through the market streets, Sun Wukong arrived at a pawnshop with the words "Eternal Peace" adorning its sign, clearly a good omen and self-explanatory for all who saw it.
As he stepped across the threshold, the shopkeeper hurried over from behind the counter, moving swiftly.
This was because Sun Wukong looked neat and tidy, wearing a white silk robe and carrying a round piece of fine jade at his waist, clearly a person of affluence, whom he did not dare neglect.
According to the shopkeeper's experience, this young master must have run away from a wealthy family and, since he had brought no money, had to exchange the valuables on his person for gold and silver.
He had seen many such characters before; they were nothing unusual.
"Young Master, what would you like to pawn? Or are you here to redeem something?" asked the shopkeeper.
"How much can this pearl fetch?"
Sun Wukong brought out a fist-sized pearl, which was round and shiny, catching the shopkeeper's eyes instantly.
Such a large pearl, truly rare in the world!
Even within the royal palace, one might not see a pearl of such size—it is a treasure beyond price!
Could the young master before me have run away from the palace, a prince in disguise?
The shopkeeper thought quickly and said, "Young master, this item is indeed precious. All the money I have here amounts to only thirty thousand taels of silver, and I cannot offer more."
"Then thirty thousand taels of silver it shall be."
Sun Wukong tossed the pearl to the shopkeeper, who caught it cautiously, afraid of causing any damage.
After safely storing the pearl, the shopkeeper handed Sun Wukong several thousand pieces of paper, which were embossed with the national seal of Ao Lai. These were the banknotes of the country, accepted throughout Ao Lai.
Stuffing the banknotes into his robes, Sun Wukong left the Eternal Peace Pawnshop and visited several other shops to exchange for enough money. Then he found over a hundred blacksmiths and ordered tens of thousands of weapons.
Swords, spears, sabers, halberds, axes, hatchets, lances, scythes, whips, maces, flails, sticks, bows, crossbows, pitchforks, and spears.
Every kind of weapon was ready at hand.
In Ao Lai, weapons were not regulated, and blacksmiths could be found everywhere on the streets.
That was because this was the East Victorious Divine Continent—filled with mountain spirits and wild beasts, where without weapons, one could hardly protect themselves.
Producing and delivering the weapons would require some time.
Meanwhile, Sun Wukong wandered within the borders of Ao Lai and found that there were indeed Taoists and monks here as well, but none possessed great spells. They merely recited sutras and practiced Chan meditation. Moreover, the monks and Taoists often interacted, occasionally discussing Taoist and Buddhist philosophies and at times enjoying the mountains and waters.
Though not immortals, they were hermits all the same.
When Sun Wukong encountered monks in this area, he would transform into a wanderlust-stricken young monk and engage in discussions about Buddhism with them; when he met local Taoists, he would also become a foot-traveling recluse to converse with them about the Tao.
Even as mortals, their insights into the Buddhist and Taoist scriptures expanded Sun Wukong's horizons.
Although unintended, it was suited to the ways of this world.
The Way changes with the moment, adapting to circumstances.
That which does not change is not the Way.
Understanding this, Sun Wukong's mind became even more enlightened, and his heart of Bodhi sprouted countless wisdoms, greatly benefiting him.
"There indeed is true wisdom in the human world!"
Sun Wukong was pleased and often conversed with the Taoists and monks. He also encountered charlatan monks and Taoists entrapped by fame and fortune who told fortunes and cheated people in the markets.
For those who used the name of Buddhism or Taoism to fill their own pockets, Sun Wukong would mete out punishment, tarnishing their reputations and compelling them to turn over a new leaf.
In this way, half a month swiftly passed by.
Sun Wukong collected all the weapons he had ordered into his bag, astonishing onlookers who proclaimed him a deity and began to worship him with kowtows.
He paid them no heed and departed on a cloud, taking with him several scholars with no hope of official careers, Taoists seeking immortality and wisdom, and monks wishing to recite scriptures and eat vegetarian meals, all heading to Huaguo Mountain.
"Children, come and collect your weapons!"
Descending from the clouds, the weapons scattered on the ground.
The monkeys swarmed to the weapons, tugging and shouting in a frenzy.
Ultimately, it was Sun Wukong who organized the distribution of weapons, bringing some order to the chaos.
This commotion also alarmed all the creatures of Huaguo Mountain—tigers, leopards, wolves, elephants, goats, cattle, horses, foxes, bears, deer... various Demon Kings from seventy-two caves came to see the spectacle after hearing that the Monkey King of Huaguo Mountain had used Great Divine Power to transport a mountain of weapons.
Seeing the pile of weapons, which stood a hundred meters high, the cave masters from all seventy-two caves were astounded.
All these weapons were brought here by the Monkey King on a cloud?!
Fear stirred in the Demon Kings' hearts as they acknowledged Sun Wukong as the co-ruler of Huaguo Mountain.
Sun Wukong was happy to accept their tributes, which saved him the trouble of subjugating them one by one. However, to truly conquer them, he knew he needed to display his strength.
After all, the spirits of the land adhere to the law of nature: survival of the fittest. To enlighten them, he first needed to overpower them.